Congress, Obama paid during shutdown, not troops

In the increasingly likely event of a government shutdown, members of Congress and the president will continue to get paid, but the nation’s troops will not.

I’m guessing more than a few readers think there’s something wrong with this picture. I’ll try to explain, but I can’t promise it will make good sense.

By law, Congress and the president will continued to get paid in the event a budget deal isn’t reached today. Aides deemed “essential” will also get paid, but not until the impasse is over and new federal funding available. Other civilian government workers will go on furlough.

Why is it so difficult to cut off pay for Congress? The 27th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is the answer. It states that “no law, varying the compensation for the services of the senators and representatives, shall take effect, until an election of representatives shall have intervened.”

Troops are considered essential personnel for the safety and security of the nation. They will remain on duty, but their paychecks will be withheld until the shutdown is over.

“The military would be paid through the 8th” — or half a paycheck, the official said. “Beyond that period of time they would not be paid. They would continue to earn their money, and when we have money again, they would be paid at that time.”

Likewise, Department of Defense civilian workers and contractors who, like servicemembers, are deemed necessary for “the safety of life and protection of property,” would continue to work for deferred pay.

According to PolitiFact, however, if the shutdown goes on for more than a few weeks, veterans’ benefit and pension checks could be delayed after the first of next month, depending on which VA personnel are considered “essential.”

Answers to routine inquiries from veterans could be slowed or stopped entirely. And there might be no employees to handle new claims for benefits.

During the last government shutdown in 1995, “more than 400,000 veterans saw their disability benefits and pension claims delayed,” Senate Veterans Affairs Chairwoman Patty Murray, D-Wash., said, according to the Army Times. “Money that they were counting on didn’t come to them. Payment of GI Bill education checks were delayed for hundreds of thousands of our veterans. Telephone calls from our veterans to veterans’ benefits offices went unanswered. Mail from veterans to our VA offices wasn’t opened. It wasn’t answered.”

Texas has about 1.7 million veterans. Nearly 300,000 receive VA disability payments of about $3.5 billion per year.

Some lawmakers have submitted bills that would halt pay to Congress and the president in the event of a shutdown. One Texas Republican, Rep. Louie Gohmert, introduced a bill to authorize funds for troops and civilians who work for the Department of Defense. Stars & Stripes reports that a bipartisan group of legislators introduced the measure in the Senate on Wednesday.

23 Responses

This is just crazyness. I have a son underwater in a nuclear sub base out of Pearl Harbor in which all his bills are setup on direct payments. It should be crimminal to not pay our troops and pay congress, senators and Obama since they ALL are 2 blame for this mess we are in. We are spending tens of million a day helping other countrys yet we can’t support our military what a shame. As usual great article Lindsay!

Are you suggesting that because the Congress and the President will continue to get paid during a shut down, they are not as motivated as they should be to avoid the shut down? Really? Let’s say the Congress and the President were not paid while the government was shut down, would it make you feel better? If not, then what is the point of your article?

The House is voting on a one-week extension to avert a shutdown and give more time to negotiate a comprehensive budget. The extension includes fund to pay military personnel for the remainder of the year. Unfortunately, the President has said he would veto the extension. So much for having the troops best interests in mind.

@Rhonda: First of all, it’s spelled DETADA. Secondly (assuming you have any common sense at all), my point is the issue of the Congress getting paid or not paid is immaterial. My family has served in the military for generations, including myself. I was born and raised on a military installation, so who are you to question the importance of this issue to me, you moron.

You do realize that we are talking about the FY2011 Budget. Such budgets should be approved prior to actually getting into the fiscal year. If my history is correct, it was a Democratic-controlled House and Senate that should have passed a FY2011 budget last year.

Regardless, the Republicans are not pushing their hand. They just passed another extension to allow for more time to negotiate. Unfortunately, the current Administration and the Senate leadership would rather shut the government down than continue to work towards a bipartisan agreement. Your comments are ignorant, irrelvant, and mere politcal kabuki.

Let it be an added incentive to Congress to know that they have a large, well-armed organizaion famed for having hot-heads who distrust buraucrats in general and the federal government in specific who are having their paychecks withheld while said beaucrats squabble amongst themselves.

This is a game of political chicken, with the families of active duty military in the middle. The soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen will be fed and housed on their ships and in their bunkers. Their wives and kids back home will be on the receiving end of nasty phone calls from bill collectors if this goes on too long, and may have a hard time buying groceries and gas among other things. If it does drag on, and you know a military family that is suffering because of this political bs, please offer them a helping hand.

Of course the crooks have protected themselves. Just like their special healthcare coverage. I can think of a lot of welfare that should be cut instead of the troops. I’m sure the anchor baby will continue to receive their government paid benefits.

You do realize that we are talking about the FY2011 Budget. Such budgets should be approved prior to actually getting into the fiscal year. If my history is correct, it was a Democratic-controlled House and Senate that should have passed a FY2011 budget last year.

Regardless, the Republicans are not pushing their hand. They just passed another extension to allow for more time to negotiate. Unfortunately, the current Administration and the Senate leadership would rather shut the government down than continue to work towards a bipartisan agreement. Your comments are ignorant, irrelvant, and mere politcal kabuki.

Posted by: Alexander145 at April 7, 2011 02:18 PM

While I will give you the point that the budget should have been passed before the midterm elections, many on both sides refused to pass a workable budget.

After the Mid-terms and the changing of the guard at the Speaker of House Position, the “next” Congress spoke loudly about the “current” congress setting the budget and urged them to “follow the will of the people”.

Only one cure for this disease. We the people need a new declaration of independence from the current rulers and then need to have our arms at the ready to stand up and fight when those same rulers send folks to come arrest us and imprison us for what they will see in their own eyes as our insubortinat ways…..

Throughout 2009 and 2010, the Democrats had a majority in BOTH the House and the Senate and a Democrat was president. This budget could have been passed with only Democratic votes in 2010. They failed to get it done before the November 2010 election.

Afterward, the Democrats saw an opportunity to set up this shutdown and blame the Tea Party.

The present impasse boils down to this: To Obama and most of the Democrats, preserving federal funds for abortion in the District of Columbia is more important than paying the troops on time.

Worse, I believe that most of the Democratic Party’s “progressive” base agrees with that choice.

Budget or no budget, pay or no pay. I am active duty so I am feeling the effects, but people just want to argue, doesn’t anyone realize there is no money. That’s the real argument. The $ has lost 14% of value in just the 10 months of trading of trading and continues to plummet yet we call this recovery. Fine approve any budget you want that means more debt which means print more money which means lower value. It’s sad the country I love and serve squabbles over beans when the entire soup taste like crap.